There are many like it but this one is mine!

This drone, my first build and definitely my baby, is now also the most travelled drone I know of. This image was taken after a "heavy landing" in the temperate climate that is the UK whilst conducting a little testing on the camera optimising the angle for gathering imagery.

In the last few weeks it has also been tested in the the Caribbean among the beautiful palm trees of Cancun, and this week it is flying in the arctic circle.

It is indeed a beast.

Unfortunately nothing had gone wrong with it aside from a little bit of overambition from the pilot. I say unfortunately because what can I learn? So the fleet has grown in order to test the boundaries of failure.

Still working on a shoe string budget there are some compromises to be made, such as sticking with the GoPro Hero 7, now very outdated, and I am still having to buy in the carbon frames. It was quickly identified that for UAS that are prone to impact 3D printing gives too much flex and instability when flying and simply crumbles on impact.

However, the one thing that really has changed in each environment, is me!

Operating in extreme weathers is less about the system and more about the man. Trading my shorts and flipflops for extreme cold weather gear has taught me that there is a trade off of comfort versus skills. The complexities of trying to operate Freestyle flying with winter gloves (an essential at -20c), while maintaining the accuracy of fine motor skills.

Similarly being man of very few follicles, finding the right headgear is also a big consideration, one that has lead me to use the Brynje beanie which has simply the best warmth to low profile relation I have ever worn.

The final consideration is for batter sustainability, which really means dealing with the temperature. The cheapest solution so far is pocket them. Keep them tucked in a jacket in the cold, though in the heat they are not really an issue as the VTX is likely to overheat before the battery has an issue.

I'm yet to look at the headset / transmitter performances in any details but I feel sure that this will follow along with some more interesting imagery and maybe even some footage on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@aerowoods